Strategy Insights

In the past decade, digital marketing has become almost unrecognizable from its infancy. Just a few years ago, all you really needed was a respectable website; then came the imperative of mobile functionality, social media and the fervor for branded apps. Now marketers are being told they need chatbots, AR and VR ads, live streaming vertical video, and content optimized for the artificial intelligence revolution. While all of this tech is exciting, and indeed promising, it seems to have brand managers, creatives and entire marketing departments overlooking one of the most basic pillars of a successful digital presence – the user experience. And at the heart of UX lies Information Architecture (IA).

B2C content marketing is only one of the many ways larger enterprise brands endeavor to get noticed, build brand awareness and drive action. However, creating enduring relationships in a connected marketplace is increasingly difficult as consumer habits online constantly shift. In developing arelevant content marketing strategy that is both engaging and intentional, it’s essential to address these five challenges.

For brands that work within highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco and financial services, strict marketing regulations are a constant concern when trying to reach today’s consumers. The struggle within digital is no different with heavy-hitters such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook all bringing their own restrictions on these industries with them, restrictions that constantly ebb and flow as regulations change. Just as important as it is to keep up with the latest regulations is understanding what strategies and tactics can help your brand overcome them.

Check out our tips for how to grow your brand’s digital marketing success within a regulated industry:

The proliferation of fake news, Russian election interference and the polarization of American political culture have all recently been blamed on a single source: Facebook. Despite being a revolutionary and ubiquitous means of human connection, the social media giant has been forced to respond to their part in this negative news cycle. With the echo-chamber effects of their algorithm and the potential for massive abuses of the system, some changes have been made for the better of humanity.

Up until now, one of the biggest roadblocks to the growth of voice search has been inaccuracy—both real and perceived. In its infancy, errors were rampant and query attempts were quickly abandoned for the reliability of a keyboard. Technology, however, has progressed leaps and bounds from those early stages of voice recognition with still more ground to cover. In 2017, Google’s word error ratedropped to 4.9 percent from 23 percent in 2013. That’s like going from missing one in every four words, to one in every twenty.

It is not uncommon these days to hear horror stories about brands across the digital space releasing products, rolling out new website designs and even launching entire businesses without ever testing a single aspect. Sadly, the ease of entry to creating your own site or app has led to a market flooded with bad ideas, or worse, great ideas that were poorly executed. Fortunately, Usability Testing has grown from something only a couple designers once concerned themselves with to now a major consideration from top-level executives. As a digital-first agency, UNION understands the importance of Usability Testing and we pride ourselves on our ability to integrate best practices into our branded work. Likewise, more and more businesses are realizing the advantages and cost savings of thoroughly testing a design or prototype before it’s fully developed, when you can still quickly adapt to feedback.

Another year is almost over and that means marketers everywhere are assessing what strategies worked this year, what didn't and what they could do in the upcoming year to make it the best yet. With eMarketer predicting that by 2019, mobile will account for 72% of all US digital ad spending, making digital marketing is a priority for any brand looking to stay relevant and compete in the year to come.

In 2016, mobile accounted for over 30% of holiday shopping. On Black Friday alone, that number was over 40%. Though mobile ecommerce hasn’t kept pace with mobile traffic as a whole, more and more consumers are turning to their phones and tablets first, not just for pre-purchase research but for the entirety of their shopping experience. All these recent trends beg the question, “Is your brand ready to win consumers on mobile this holiday season?”

By now, every business owner knows that SEO is essential for driving traffic—both online and on foot. Spending on SEO alone is projected to increase from $65 billion in 2016 to almost $80 billion in 2020, according to a study byBorrell Associates. The motivation is obvious: having the best product and the strongest content won’t matter if no one can find your website. The importance of content creation by business owners and marketers alike has also been validated, with a similar jump in growth projected over the same time period. But treating SEO and content creation as two separate elements of your digital marketing strategy means wasting potential returns on both investments.97% of marketers surveyed agreed that SEO and content have become more integrated and are converging and/or are converting to a single function. So what does that look like in practice? And what does it mean for your marketing department?

Though influencer marketing is a relatively new tool for brands, it is one that has skyrocketed since its inception. In 2016, 86% of marketersutilized influencer marketing, and 48% of those marketers planned on increasing their influencer spend in 2017.ROIs for influencer marketing have been positive for more than 82% of businesses, but—as is often the case in any hot, new digital trend—too many companies are ready to throw their money at the latest fad before understanding how to make it work best for their brand.

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UNION is a digital marketing agency founded in 2002 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Considered a digital marketing leader, UNION collaborates with many of the Southeast region's top brands to achieve business objectives through strategy, creative and technology. The agency specializes in crafting digital marketing platforms, content and campaigns that deliver meaningful and measurable ROI results. Want to work with us?